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Regional Report for Northern Ontario - Scott Earl Smith
Originally Published in
August / October 2007 Issue
At the time of this writing the steelhead run on the north
shore of Superior has just drawn to a close. I caught several
“drop-back” steelhead on one of my favourite rivers during the
first few days of June following a heavy rain. A rain that
was much anticipated—and had been much needed a month earlier
when steelhead were congregating at the mouths of our rivers
awaiting suitable river levels. During this waiting period, a
substantial number of steelhead fell prey to lamprey. Many
anglers, myself included, reported a large percentage of fresh
lamprey scars on steelhead this spring (I noted that over 75%
of fish had fresh scars). Whether this has to do with the
aforementioned low water levels or an actual increase in the
numbers of lamprey in Superior remains to be seen. But, for
certain, this is an important issue that needs our attention.
If you’ve caught fish with lamprey marks on them, I strongly
urge you to visit
www.glfc.org/sealamp/lampreyhunter and report your
findings.
Water levels continue to be a
“hot” topic here in the north, where Lake Superior’s low
levels will make you an instant believer in the realities of
global warming. (I have at least 100 more feet of beach in
front of my cabin on Superior this season.) (Could it be that
fish are more vulnerable to lampreys at river mouths because
of these lower lake levels?)
Although we
enjoyed a good run of steelhead this year due to the healthy
brood stock from 2002-03, we can expect to see that change
four years from now when the 2005-2006 fish return to spawn.
As I have reported in the past, the weather patterns in the
last year have not been friendly to our salmonid species. Low
precipitation is the key factor (both snow and rain), but
combine this with cold winters and hot summers and you have a
double slam.
My friend Jon
George, steelhead specialist and OMNR biologist, advises that
some rivers have both one and two year-old smolts;
subsequently poor environmental conditions for one year can
affect steelhead returns for two years running. Fortunately,
steelhead in most Lake Superior tributaries smolt after one
year (migrate from their natal streams to Lake Superior).
Jon reports
that the good year class of 2002-03 was evident in his data
from Portage Creek where 938 new fish were tagged this spring;
suggesting the 2007 population may be close to 1800. This is
amazing considering the population was only about 400 just
over a decade ago, prior to the closure on the river and the
moratorium on harvest. Who says catch-and-release doesn’t
work!
If you are an
avid steelhead angler, you can plan for a good return of fish
next spring, due to the healthy numbers of 2004 fish in the
system. The summer of 2004 was cool and wet—hence the good
survival rate on that year’s brood stock. George comments
that both the Portage Creek study and the Rainbow Trout
Cooperative Angler Program vividly illustrates the effects of
environmental conditions on fish populations.
I also asked
George about the anecdotal evidence of increased lamprey
activity and he advised that it is critical that anglers
participating in the Cooperative Angler Program note lamprey
marks in their journal. George advises that his Portage Creek
study does not show an increase in fish with lamprey scars
from Black Bay, but states that that does not preclude the
possibility of increases in other bays on Lake Superior.
Hence, your information is critical.
If you’re
not participating in the Cooperative Angler Program, you can
equip yourself for the fall run by visiting the North Shore
Steelhead Association’s website at
www.northshoresteelhead.com or by calling the Lake
Superior Management Unit (Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources) at 807-475-1231.
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